Gilligan fled country without a passport

It has been revealed that criminal John Gilligan fled the country without a passport.

The 62-year-old, who sustained a broken leg and was shot four times during an attempt on his life on March 1, was escorted to the ferry to Holyhead by gardaí in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Security and costs of his hospital treatment at Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown, Dublin, amounted to around €35,000.

John Gilligan's decision to discharge himself from hospital came after his friend, Stephen Douglas 'Dougie' Moran was murdered on Saturday night, a fortnight after Gilligan himself was seriously injured when he was shot four times while attending a christening party at his brother’s home.

The Limerick native drove an armour-plated car and had just stepped out of it to walk the few yards to the front door of his heavily fortified home when the gunman struck.

He had used the same vehicle to drive around John Gilligan since his release from prison last October after serving 17 years in jail on drug trafficking charges.

Gilligan had several surgeries after the attempt on his life, and is expected to need more.